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Hiya there! I know I don't have the time to post updates anymore, but I've done more stuff with Dragon's Landing. So here goes! Here's a map of Perwyn Island and the state as a whole, first! We're in Dragon's Landing, but we've already visited a few other towns here : Wodenbury, PI back when CSL first released, as well as Westport, PI in the north of Perwyn Island. We've also been to Ashford, NT! But let's focus on the state capital of Dragon's Landing, which also happens to be the southernmost town of Perwyn Island. Dragon's Landing is a fairly old city, and its streets are twisted and narrow. Downtown Landing sits on its own island, which was mostly made out of landfill over the years. The insular peculiarities of Downtown Landing (an island surrounded by a bigger island, itself connected to mainland Perwyn), there only are a few bottlenecks for traffic to enter or leave; Station Road acts as a major road and connects to the pan-Perwyn Island motorway, but is constantly clogged up. At the edge of the city centre, on Landing Island itself, Dragon's Landing train station acts as the southern terminus of the Perwyn Line. It is not connected to the rest of Cathnoquey's rail network. The Landing tram-train and bus terminals are also located here. The eight-bay terminal handles intercity bus traffic as well as local buses. That is because the Perwyn Island line only stops at a few major towns; most stops were closed years ago, in an age when railways struggled against the automobile. The railway station is also where the A9 road that links most of Perwyn Island ends and links to different parts of the city. A plan to overhaul the intersection and make it pedestrian-friendly wad drawn up, but then shelved for many years. Let's head downtown now - to the city's main hub, Haymarket Place. Historically built around Castle Road (which goes from left to right here), the Haymarket used to be where farmers would sell their produce and tolls into the city would be collected, right at the foot of the Arch of Triumph and the Guildhall (now behind the Lighthouse). Nowadays a major crossroad junction, the Haymarket retains its commercial role with the opening of the Haymarket shopping centre some years ago after a decade of neglect and botched redevelopment. The Landing is full of historic buildings - such as the Perwyn State Capitol, where the state congress sits, right beside the Perwyn Faculty of Law and Finance. There are also newer buildings defining the skyline, such as Telecom Tower. Laws regarding the preservation of historic sites and heritage are fairly lax in Perwyn. The Alienware Tower, as well as some of the city's other taller buildings, is one of the city's major attractions. Of note, one can see the Harbourmaster's Office (the red brick building in the foreground), as well as the Ferry Terminal - where one can board ferries to the mainland via New Wigmore or Wodenbury. In the background, one can spot the social housing estate of New Taverley, where no less than 15'000 people live. View over the Landing, looking eastwards. Close up of the Haymarket and Jackson Road, including the busy bus interchange and taxi station. Overview of the ruined Dragon Castle, one of the fortresses of the first wave of Dunmeri settlers from Morrowind. Perwyn Island and Cathnoquey in general have a history that spans much longer than people realise, and at such this castle dates back from the Tamriel invasion of Akavir, when it was built and used as a forward staging ground. Even longer ago, the Akaviri were the ones to invade Tamriel, and they brought their architecture with them. Though the Akaviri withdraw completely from Cathnoquey eons ago, leaving it unhabited, Perwyn Island was their final port of harbour before their invasion proper. This makes Perwyn a holy ground of the Akaviri faith, based on ancestor worship and harmony with the land, and at such Akaviri shrines, not unlike temples of the Blades found elsewhere on Tamriel, were erected and act as touristic hotspots. This is Perwyn Shrine, one of two major such hotspots. And here is Cathnoquey's Grand Shrine, the authority for all such shrines in all of Cathnoquey. Interestingly, Dragon's Landing caters especially to the Akaviri faith; that stands in contrast to Westport (which we've already visited in this CJ), which acts as a beacon for the Dunmeri faiths. This is revealing of a north/south clash that, for better or worse, defines Perwyn islanders. Going further in town, one can spot some of the canals that one criss-crossed the island. Most have been filled up, but this one still remains. All in all, Dragon's Landing strives to be a modern town, with what little money it can spare. Looking south towards the ferry terminal. Traffic in Dragon's Landing is fairly poor at most hours of the day, and it does not help that the Tram really only connects outlying areas with Dragon's Landing proper. Let's take a drive further out! The outside of Dragon's Landing is filled with terraced houses, fairly common and distinctive of the North Territories and of Perwyn Island proper. They make sense, too - the red bricks are made from locally sourced clay, and the island's small size demands houses adjust accordingly, in contrast with the wildly untamed expanse of Cathnoquey as a whole. Dragon's Landing also features several residential high rises. These towers are actually fairly expensive to live in - but they're properly maintained, have security, and some even have indoor pools. The Landing's very own multisport stadium and concert arena even has its own tram stop. It's the biggest stadium in the entire state of Perwyn Island. The outskirts of the city are also dotted with business parks, such as the one at Gnisis Parkway, right by the airport. Here is the high street in Wortown, some 6 miles away from Dragon's Landing proper. Wortown has some lovely beaches, looking over the bay locally known as the Fen. It also has its own train station, served by tram-trains looping around Landing island. Let's check out a couple of pictures last, such as this shopping centre on the western edge of the city, right by the roundabout leading to the industrial harbour. And here is the very peaceful village of Watling, about 8 miles away from Dragon's Landing. And finally, a general overview of Landing Island itself, looking north! One can see Harbour Island as well as downtown Landing on the bottom of the picture, with the city sprawling to the east (Balmont and Elsfield) and the west (Taverley and its housing towers). In the middle, the Dragon's Roost sits imposingly, as a former volcano that has been inactive for at least 2000 years. That's it for now! I have more pictures of the road and rail network, as well as detailed closeups of the waterfront, but I'll keep those for a later date. This is probably not the best I've done in a while, but alas I have very little time left for Cities Skylines, I'm just not willing to let this project die. So I hope you enjoyed reading regardless =)
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Hey there! I've been gone longer than I've wanted, but now I'm back with a brand new city (I've even got all the entries planned out, so that's gonna be a few solid entries). I lost my Santa Linna files over the summer and that crushed my motivation; however, while I am definitely working on another tropical island (Japanese, probably?) here's something I don't get to do very often - Euro cities! But first, here's where we've been so far in this City Journal - we're getting a pretty solid overview of the state of Cathnoquey as a whole! It seems we've been pretty much to all four corners of the state of Cathnoquey. One sneaky scaling retcon later, we're going back to Perwyn Island. If you want to visit the northern Perwyn city of Westport, click here. Today we're going to go to the southern reaches of the island, to the state capital of Dragon's Landing! Dragon's Landing is one of the oldest towns in Cathnoquey. Before it became its own state, Cathnoquey was split in two colonies : the Dunmer colony of Perwyn, fresh from Morrowind and the Imperial colony of Humberland. A joint independance war, a federation and a civil war later, Dragon's Landing still survives as one of the hubs of Dunmeri colonial life and Cathnoquey pioneer spirit. Dragon's Landing is built on the southernmost island on Perwyn, and is home to about 104'000 people, the vast majority in the city proper. As the capital, Dragon's Landing is the island's economic powerhouse. The Synod Light Tower, built by Dunmeri mages in the middle of the Haymarket, serves as one of the symbols of the city and its status as one of the big town of Cathnoquey. This area also serves as the main business district, and naturally, it is the hub of the city's three key bus lines that criss-cross the town. The State Capitol can also be seen to the bottom right of the picture - it is currently led by the conservative admistration of Dunmer businessman Durena Hlaalu. The bus network is highly used - and it keeps the narrow streets of the old town mostly free from traffic. To the north of town is the Central Station. It's a stately building, built in the waning years of the Fourth Era - at the time the Perwyn Railway was not the only railroad in Perwyn, and many other lines converged towards Dragon's Landing. The bus station and the southern end of the A9 road can also be seen. As with many similar cities, the railway station is on the periphery of the business core. This is why the bus station is located there. Many buses come and go, some of them to far-flung towns in Perwyn, others to shuttle busy commuters to and from the city centre. Here's a roundabout at the north entrance of Dragon's Landing, with the city's light rail system running down the middle. Of course the Landing has its own metro system, but it's not necessarily adequate, as we'll see in later entries. The difference in elevation between the A9 approach and the central station, and the city itself is staggering, but to a driver coming from Westport, it also affords a premium view of the central core. But let's talk about the A9 freeway a little. We've already been there, back in Westport, where it's a non-separated 2x2 road. However, in the vicinity of Dragon's Landing, it's a full-fledged motorway (well, for the most part), boasting serious infrastructure and traffic. This is the junction with roads A92 and A45, which connect to the west coast of Perwyn as well as the north areas of the Landing. The A9 is effectively the backbone of road transport for the entirety of Perwyn Island. A little closer to town, Taverley's residential tower blocks overlook the roadway, still awaiting long-due refurbishment. Bird's eye view of the housing blocks in Taverley. One can also see Taverley Station here - there will naturally be an entry dedicated to public transit (or two) The A9 isn't all motorway. Here at the entrance of Dragon's Landing, traffic lights regulate the flow of cars crossing the roadway at grade. It's not an ideal situation, but there's little money in the coffers and no administration has wanted to tackle the immense challenge of providing an alternative while a proper junction is built. In a town so tightly packed and where several buildings are heritage sites, though, it's pretty understandable that a lot of similar projects become highly complicated if not downright infeasible. Taking of heritage sites, here is, fittingly, City Hall, where important decisions get made about the future of the city. For instance, where to put the Mayors mansion? Other cities have theirs, why not ours? Why not the Dragon's Castle? This beautiful Akaviri structure is built on top of the highest mountain dead in the middle of Dragon's Landing island. As the story goes, the temple predated the arrival of the first Dunmeri settlers. Legends tell of a Redguard woman from Hammerfell who, after forty days and forty nights, shouted the dragon to death alongside her Akaviri companions. The resulting crash is said to have created the lake, and given the city its eventual name. A less fanciful explanation for the city's name might simply be that Imperial-affiliated house Hlaalu, whose symbol at the time was a dragon, first landed on the shores of Perwyn...hence the name. Dragon's Landing is, as one might expect, an important harbour in Cathnoquey. Though Westport Harbour is also important, the Landing handles a lot of cargo either at its airport or its deep water harbour. A canal separates the residential area of Birstall from the industrial area, sparing the residents the noise of harbour activity - and, as this picture shows, probably avoiding a possible disaster from spreading from one area to the next. Another residential tower block, in Birstall, with a broken truck and a supermarket at the foot of the tenement building. Dragon's Landing relies little on high-density buildings, though, vastly preferring long rows of narrow houses sprawling across town. At such, the tenements tend to be inhabited by the lowest classes, immigrants, industrial workers - but many people believe that these estates generate precarity as much as they help fix it, and many such towers across town have already been demolished. The entire town certainly isn't low-density, though. On its outskirts, one can find Velothi Dale - a ward specifically created to accomodate medium-density offices in a town where demand for retail and office space outgrew what was provided in its historic town centre. Velothi Dale is one of several "New Towns" sponsored by the Cathnoquey federal government, much like the Taverley and Birstall estates seen above, meant to remedy a shortage of housing and retail space - but being retail space, it's probably not going to be demolished any time soon. Indeed not all "new towns" are meant to be impoverished. These residential towers are actually pretty well valued, near the stadium and a light rail station, and feature state of the art keycards, soundproofing, and even their own shops. However, the majority of the town consists of these rows of houses, such as here in Elsfield. The residential choices and general urban planning of people across Cathnoquey remain indicative of the sharp divide between the Dunmeri settlers, who came earlier and had to make do with limited terrain, and later Imperial settlers who took over most of the empty island for themselves and followed a philosophy of modernity and what came to be known as the federal doctrine of "a castle for every man". General architecture choices and the layout of the town is another sharp contrast to the neatly laid out grid pattern seen in Humberland and Kingscote cities such as Glenvale or Amesbury - the Landing truly was built over time, and its organic street pattern reflects that. It's not that there are no key arteries though - Market Road, for instance, is one of the few large avenues in the city. Pretty bumpy ride, though. Here's another divide : here at the Haymarket, we can see the Cathedral of Arkay, the Aedric god of death. However, unlike in the mainland provinces, the Nerevarine is also worshipped at Aedric cathedrals. This is because of the Nerevarine's status as the saviour of Morrowind back in the third era, and his eventual travels to Akavir, stopping on the then-virgin island of Cathnoquey along the way. In fact, outlawing of Nerevarine worship in the late fourth era was one of the direct triggers of the Cathnoquey Civil War, which ended in a bitter stalemate. A more peculiar sight in Dragon's Landing is the presence of Akaviri shrines, such as the Perwyn Grand Shrine. Very unique indeed, as very few places in Cathnoquey have Akaviri shrines (Amesbury comes to mind); however, there is a strong community of Akaviri expats who live in Dragon's Landing, and their faith happens to blend neatly with Aedric beliefs. Anyway! I'm droning on, and there will be many more entries to cover different aspects of Dragon's Landing. So to conclude, here's an overview of East Town, with its twisted warren of winding roadways. Thanks for reading, and I hope this wasn't too rusty an entry as I dive back into Cities Skylines (and am battling a headache writing this)... See you soon <3
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From the album Winter Wonderland (S3-21-M)
Heavy snow expected on the Ashford Metro Area for the 1st of Morning Star, 5E140. Happy new year!© Linoa06
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From the album Winter Wonderland (S3-21-M)
Expect delays on Ashford's Orange Line. Given this happens every winter, I really want to ask why. #Chirpy #Metro #Xmas-
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From the album Winter Wonderland (S3-21-M)
Because there's a blizzard doesn't mean the trains don't run!-
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Welcome to Ashford! And today, we're talking a tour on two of the major links that connect Ashford : the Blue and Orange rapid transit lines. Ashford is a big city, which requires some form of heavy rail to avoid traffic problems. Let's take a tour of the Blue Line first. The Blue Line is a 15 km long line that links the northernmost parts of the town, the CBD, and the nearer east side. 30% of all journeys made on the entire transit network are made on the Blue Line. Trains run on a 10 minute headway at peak times, though half the trains northbound stop at Empire Park while only the other half terminates further at Coleridge Heights. Most of the Blue Line used to be part of a mainline which served several towns, now suburbs, in the Coleridge valley. We started at Coleridge Heights, so let's follow the rails! The line is still operated by old, twice-refurbished MP54 units, usually coupled in 4-car consists. Their replacement has been long overdue, but a referendum on a transit tax sales increase that would have gone to fund replacement of Blue and Orange rolling stock has been defeated twice in the past twenty years. Oh, and here's the entry to the Coleridge Railyard. For at least half a mile from Coleridge Heights station, the mainline from New Wellingborough parallels the metro line. Here's where they split, though they will merge again shortly before Central Station. You'll soon notice the lack of signals on the metro - that's because the two lines use moving block technology and run on automatic train operation, with a single train operator responsible for the safety of the carriage for the length of its journey. The most obvious advantage is optimized headways and wiggle room for expansion or heavier usage - but on several occasions the system has failed, forcing all trains to stop with no signals to run on and stranding passengers across the city. The system is also criticized for being expensive to maintain and unneeded since the shortest headway on the network are about 4-5 minutes on shared Blue/Orange Line tracks. Another view of the line split, as the mainline goes through a windfarm, because...why not? The city's power grid isn't gonna run itself and nobody cares what the reckless, billionaire President of Cathnoquey thinks of wind farms next to his golf courses. The mainline then crosses a bridge over the Coleridge Valley, which is easily one of the highest rail bridges in Cathnoquey. But before that, we arrive at King's Hill station, formerly King's Hill Road. Note how the road itself is sandwiched between the subway and mainline tracks. King's Hill does not see many customers, though there are only one train every 20 minutes calling here. The Blue Line then traces its way across hilly terrain to reach Empire Park. Empire Park station used to be small, too. However, it was greatly expanded on in 5E118, as the transit authority sought to adopt a hub-and-spoke model with the Blue Line as its cornerstone. Several bus lines terminate at Empire Park Bus Terminal (in the background), and half of all Blue Line trains terminate here, too. In 5E128, a new rail link, the underground, elevated Airport Shuttle now calls here too. The underground concourse linking all platforms now serves as a platform itself for the small automated shuttle. Empire Park is the largest used station outside of the CBD. The tracks then weave across Concord, one of the old late 4th Era plantations now merged into the city's spawling fabric. North Concord Station and its Park and Ride parking lot. Two minutes later, and we roll into Concord Institute Station. Those trains sure are rusty. A #10 red bus typical of Ashford rolls by Concord Institute station. The Institute itself is just a block away, and is a highly-ranked engineering university campus. Trains then go down the hill in a series of sharp curves across Sheldonville... ...then under the freeway bridge, where they rejoin with the mainline, at the entrance of the main industrial park. Central Station railyard. The metro tracks are on the left of the picture, you can see the Orange Line tracks merging into the Blue Line ones. Middle tracks are for mainline traffic. Here's a Blue Line train bound for Central Station. Finally, we arrive at Central Station, an important interchange point for most city buses as well as between the Blue and Orange lines. After a two-minute layover, we start again, and this time go underground. In the late 4th Era, not long after the end of the Civil War, Central Station did not exist, and there were three tunnel portals to what was then the main central station, State Street. And here it is! State Street station, nested in its trench. There were more tracks back then, now buried below where the tram tracks run. A brick building used to connect this sunken station, perpendicular to all six platforms, but it has since then been demolished and changed into that road you can see above the remainder of the station. The empty space that used to be the closed four platforms has been covered up below the plaza and converted into a parking lot. The Green Line tram still calls here, though, and State Street is still an important transport hub today. However, from street level, nobody would suspect one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture used to stand above the steam trains in the trenches below. We continue to University station, once known as University / State Capitol. This is the final station where Orange and Blue Lines share the same tracks, as the Orange splits northwards and the Blue continues eastwards. Here's where both lines split, as the tracks now run along the waterfront. At Morningside Station, a housing promoter got the idea of building his Railside Pyramid housing development on either side of the rail tracks. Skybridges were originally planned, but the city council deemed them overkill. This piece of track is new, and was built across the district as gentrification took hold and condos replaced run-down projects; there used to be an avenue instead of the trackage, which for years was known for the Morningside Market. There isn't much of a community to bring together here these days, but at the same time, someone had to do something about all the rat-infested buildings... The Blue Line tracks then continues into high-density development, all built on the site of Morningside Market Avenue... And finally the Blue Line turns northwards to serve some of the East Side. Loxborough / Grove Park, end of the line! There is an expansion project to the town of Balmung which would involve the Blue Line digging into these hills northbound, but once again, lack of funding has forced the Authority to shelf the whole project. We've seen the Blue Line; let's now take a gander at the Orange Line. The Orange Line is the city's main link linking the southern suburbs, but it actually starts north of the CBD. About 20% of all journeys made on the network are made using the Orange Line, which is a 10 km long line which runs mostly elevated. This is because unlike the older Blue Line, the Orange Line was built as a metro from the onset. Likewise, the Orange Line runs on a 10 minute headway though all services start and terminate at the termini (except for a few late-night and early-morning trains, which begin at Empire Park after coming out or heading into Coleridge Railyard). Let's start at Lafayette Boulevard station, on the newer Uptown Expansion line. Lafayette Boulevard, at the heart of Uptown (even though Downtown separates Midtown from Uptown, a quirk of the city's growth and the names not quite following through). Uptown is nested in the Ashford hillsides, and is easily one of the most diverse communities in the city : the original Dunmer settlers still live here, along with several other Elvish races that, back in old Tamriel, would be at each others' throats. The result is Hamilton "International" Avenue, seen here at the corner of Lafayette. This expansion relieved the CBD as several bus lines could be pushed back to end at Lafayette instead. Waiting for the train at Lafayette Boulevard. The station is two-tracked, but in normal service only Platform 1 (signed with an orange "Downtown & Newbury") is in service. Platform 2 (signed with a blue "Downtown & Empire Park") is used either for storage, in case of a breakdown on the other platform, or as a Blue Line platform for those trains heading back to the depot using the Blue Line tracks (or in case of shutdown on the Blue Line's eastern half). It is more economical to have them be in revenue service as much as possible, after all, and so they continue as Blue Line trains from University to Empire Park. Using elevated tracks the line then continues to North CBD / Silverwind Casino station, sponsored by said casino. The station is moderately used, but when the Silverwind hosts galas journeys to and from this station are free of charge. The line then comes to street level, and then digs down underground under the CBD. There should have been an underground station somewhere inside the CBD, but it was never built because - you guessed it - lack of funds. Sadly, most people consider urban rail to be for-profit, whereas it should not be, as it is a piece of infrastructure necessary to the nation's economy much like airports or roads, but oh well. The line emerges above ground and quickly merges with the Blue Line for that University - State Street - Central Station stretch. Before this Expansion opened, Orange Line trains terminated in a dedicated terminal at Feltonville on the Blue Line, which is now closed. The Orange Line parts from the Blue Line here. Trains run on these rickety bridges over the industrial canal.. ..Then merge back together. Note how these trains are electrified using conventional overhead lines, by the way - that's a remnant of the Blue Line's past as an electrified mainline railway, which carried over when it was time to connect the Orange Line to it. The Orange Line then curves over Moore Avenue, which it will now follow, with Bybury / Stadium station a staggering 5 blocks away from the stadium itself. View from the curve looking southwards. Wynesfield station with Raynoldstown station in the background, once the hill is cleared. As Moore Avenue swerves further and further way from the CBD, the Orange Line becomes at-grade and curves alongside the roadway. Orange Lines track split to accomodate a roadway pillar at the end of Moore Avenue. Brownsville Avenue station, serving the Wood Height Projects. Yes, that's a fairly inefficient roadway, but it looks unique and there are many roadways like that across the world. It separates the flow of traffic, it does its job, much as people might complain about the area's lack of walkability. Not everything needs to be game-mechanic-optimal. An Orange Line train about to enter Brownsville Ave station, bound for Newbury Quay. Talking of which : Finally, we arrive at the terminal station : Newbury Quay, along with a small railyard. The station is located just a block away from the bay itself. Handy for an afternoon out by the waterside. Newbury used to be a quaint resort town, but partly thanks to the subway, it has now developed into an entire residential suburb of Ashford, more than 7 km away. And what would this entry be without its own subway map? The Blue and Orange lines are the backbone of Ashford, along with the Green Line, which we haven't quite visited - but worry not, a new tram line is on its way, so we'll have plenty of time exploring it soon! Anyway, that's it for me, I hope you enjoy this very long entry but then again I love trains a lot - also I wanted to show that it is possible to make a compelling, yet functional metro link using conventional rail (which does make you think a lot more about spamming those subway trains, honestly). It's an extra challenge I recommend to anyone interested in some eye candy and also in a less easy alternative to subways. Sooo see you around
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Welcome back to Ashford! And now we can even land in by plane. Ashford Regional Airport isn't very big, but it should bring more tourists as well as boost the economy. Good thing for the new mayor, who is none other than the old mayor, as the citizen's initiative we discussed last entry eventually lost despite the polls calling the city for them. And so the first thing the old-new mayor did was call a conference on transportation, the Fredas after inauguration. Much to the environmentalists' dismay, the first thing on the menu is the construction of a new airport terminal, which had not been part of the initial plan. On Pelletine Avenue, music halls are enjoying their last few nights before the required sales tax increase. However, it's unlikely the city nightlife scene will be overly hit. And as every weekend night, there's a lot to do in town - for instance, new shows, premiering in Ashford! And what shows! Tonight the popular book-turned-movie-turned-musical Le Frenchiest Fry - A Story of Life, Love and Garlic Bread is due to start at 9pm at the University Theatre. Media, critics, cinema snobs - everyone's queued for hours to get to their booked seats first, and kleenex sales have skyrocketed throughout the city. Or is that due to the other show premiering tonight just opposite the road - The Lusty Argonian Maid : The Opera? There's plenty of other things to do on a Loredas night, though. And those things usually don't involve sleeping. But where could everyone be? It's not just Loredas, it's also the hottest night of Sun's Height - it's more likely they're partying the night away in one of Midtown's finest or not so finest nightclubs. They could also be at the Canyon Casino, which tonight is hosting a charity gala. No matter the time - these are great opportunities for socializing and making friends in high places. Normally, they'd also be either at the Blitzball or Football stadiums. The Football stadium, pictured here, is on the edge of the CBD, just beyond the Moore Avenue bridge. But tonight, there is no match, as every major sports league in the country is on Midyear hiatus. In the southern parts of town, some lone composers are passing the time in their record studios. Their buildings will be demolished soon to make way for a new metro line. Not every major studio has accepted to move downtown, and critics complain that soon the neighborhood will have lost much of its nightly charm. But who wants to foot the bill for burying the metro underground? The Blue Line runs almost 24/7, only pausing for one short hour on weekends, serving the city's partygoers as an attempt to curb drunk driving inside the city. At least where the Blue Line runs, it seems to work so far, though every station is staffed by police officers to avoid trouble. This is most obvious at State Street Station, the transport hub of the city, which remains noisy animated throughout the night, ferrying people from pub to pub, from nightclub to nightclub.. It is 5AM already, and rain is beginning to fall as slowly, people go home. And so in very little time, as the sun rises, an eerie silence settles upon the sleepless city. Everyone's gone home to sleep, finally, and the rain washes away the mess left behind on the streets. Today's going to be less hot, that's for sure. It doesn't take long for the sun to come back, however, and by mid-day it is as if it had never rained. If Loredas is a day of drinking and revelling, Sundas is more family friendly, with many people taking their children out to the park, or even on the shores of the lake. And while nobody ever really dips into the water, some forlorn souls do wander amongst the ruins of the former beach resort. At least there's more than a token service on most bus routes! But the day is already almost over, and for most tomorrow is yet another Morndas of work. Another day, another septim... But there are worse places to live out the daily grind, that's for sure! Ashford has comparatively little commute times, for instance, and prices in the city aren't quite as high as, say, Glenvale or Vesper Bay prices. And this is it for Ashford today, so I hope you enjoyed, and next time we'll visit the road and rail systems that form the backbone of the city. Oh, and maps : This is a map of Ash County, with Ashford in the middle, in the style of Amesbury's old maps from when CSL first launched... And here's a map of the more central areas of Ashford! So that's all for today, see you next time :>
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Entry 40 : Of Land Value and Zoning Codes (5E138)
Linoa06 posted a City Journal entry in Skylines of Cathnoquey
My picture hosting website PostIMG is most likely closing due to a breach of CloudFlare ToS. At such pictures across the CJ may well be missing. The good news is, I've saved up 100% of my pictures, and it's mostly going to be a matter of transferring to a new picture service provider. What this really could mean is that I can open up Reddit to post my screenshots every now and then, and Imgur as a duplicate of this CJ to try and reach out beyond Simtropolis, if the response turns out positive enough. If not, well I'll use Imgur without sharing to the community, or move to something else. :/ So...Just some extra work I could spend on making railroads D: Full Imgur link, which is mostly the same as this CJ entry : https://imgur.com/gallery/RIF1n Anyway, road retextures go Yeah..that looks much sleeker than the default textures, don't you think? I changed the header back to normal though. xD Anyway... It's another bright day in Ashford. The trams run on time, there aren't too many jams... That's a welcome change, right? In City Hall, however, city planners are assembled on the High Councillor's orders. They are reviewing the final impact of the newest skyscraper in town. Least we can say is : good for real estate moguls and the treasury, bad for the residents. The suits over at the State Capitol even tried to block it, environmental studies showed it was a bad idea, but after just two years of building.. 1 Pelletine Plaza was finally completed, lighting the way to a brighter future for Ashford. The structure was built away from the CBD, citing lower property prices elsewhere, but close enough to a highway and transit links. Still, it's an impressive building allright. 60+ floors of office and retail space, served directly by the Green Line and surrounded with a beautiful plaza, full of greenery. There's only one tiny problem... It's in the middle of low-density residential areas, and all the traffic adjustments and road improvements won't change the fact that now, if you happen to live in the tower's shadow you can forget your 2pm garden tanning. Oh, and you're being priced out of your home. In what's already not a rich area of town. Hope you like yoga :/ Critics yelled that this tower project is yet another attempt at gentrification - hipsters are now buying out all the condos, and new residential buildings are planned. But the question is - how did this happen? Zoning laws are clear : the area is residential, and meant for low-density housing with some commercial development on Pelletine Avenue itself. But the problem is, zoning codes here are vague at best. It only took finding some loopholes, and amendment of the codes to classify the tower as, well, small commercial development. And probably some bribing of the city council as a whole - it was cheap land to build a tower on after all. And with such a crowded CBD, it was fairly unlikely to find land that cheap to build on any closer to town. But 1 Pelletine isn't the only new tower in town. Other than the refurbishment of the Southern Metropolitan Hospital, Midtown businesses now welcome two new additions to its skyline. The MileEnder Center (left) and Portland Tower (right) were also erected in the same time window as 1 Pelletine, at a fraction of the cost - at the heart of the city's nightlife, and only a dozen blocks away from the CBD proper. This has been a much welcome boost to the local daytime economy as office workers come to visit the area's restaurants and diners. The MileEnder Center in particular has become the home of several TV and radio stations previously scattered across town, such as all three major networks (Cathnoquey Broadcast Service, Cathnoquey News Network, and Kingscote Broadcasting Company), and several minor affiliates and local station, including Dunmeri language channels. The Portland Tower, instead, welcomes musicians, labels, and even a music hall of its own. Critics of 1 Pelletine are quick to draw comparisons between the two projects, and the High Councilor now has to deal with the Citizen Initiative, a grassroot movement that seeks to take over City Hall in a few months. Every three years, each of the city's five Districts elects two Councillors in addition to the citywide election of the High Commissioner and Celli "Cellyfish" Ajhraari, leader of the CI, looks set to displace both major established parties, the Federal Party and the People's Party of Cathnoquey - both nationally crumbling in times of political turmoil. To make matters worse, city neighborhoods are banding together too, concerned that they might one day be threatened by real estate moguls. OccupyAshford, environmentalist lobbies, but also homeowners associations concerned with the municipal government's alleged abuse of eminent domain (the practice of buying someone's property compulsorily for public use) - they're all banding together and making a stand against City Hall. Will Celli be able to claim City Hall? Ever since Jane Haaleri, a Dunmer - a third of the country's population yet still considered a minority - managed to win Glenvale far to the south for the Greens smaller parties and fringe candidates have shown themselves more daring, and more successful. So who knows! After the Dunmer, maybe the Khajiit can take a turn in the spotlight. What's certain is the battle for City Hall will be tough, but then again if you're going to push more nails in the incumbent council's coffin you might as well make those nails skyscraper sized, right? And so we leave Ashford with a few of the central areas of town...until next time -
Hey there party people! Cathnoquey is back, and this time we are going to Ashford, the capital of the Northern Territories Ashford is a city of some 300,000 inhabitants, with about 1,000,000 people in the surrounding metropolitan area. It is the state capital of the Northern Territories, as well as the seat of Ash County. It is located on the Timber Ponds, in fact a lake that stretches inland, surrounded by hills, forests and salt marshes, twenty miles from the northern coast of Cathnoquey. Ashford is one of these new towns built in the early Fifth Era, and in fact is known for its grided layout, much more rigidly adhered to than elsewhere. The commission-based city government, one of the few of its kind in Cathnoquey, has spent the last decade breaking the grid in favour of traffic calming solutions. They also keep up the Ashford Metro, which includes the oldest train tunnels in Cathnoquey, beneath the downtown area. Ashford City Hall is the traditional heart of the city, not just politically but in its geographical layout. City Hall Park was designed by one of the city's founding architect, Skyrim-born Ragna Hoffensdottir; despite the skyscrapers creeping across the skyline the park remains the most visited green space in the county. While Ashford is a generally pleasant and progressive city, it hasn't always been so. In the 50s, 60s and 70s, the city had one of the highest violent crime rates and gang wars were commonplace. Crime has come down since the reign of radical high commissioner Marcus Bluebanner, who made it his primary goal to eradicate violence from Ashford. Many of his policies centred around gun control, stronger punishment, two state-of-the-art supermax jails, with mixed effects. It took several decades to clean up entire neighbourhoods, though, and the Bluebanner Act as it became known enabled the city authorities to repossess entire blocks - usually bulldozing them despite public outrage, using the construction of the M3 highway as an excuse. This neighbourhood, since then renamed Morningside, used to be a very impoverished slum - today though it looks sleek and modern, filled with concrete, impressive condos, music halls, and ad billboards. More cynical commenters would point out that the skooma drug trade and associated violence were at best simply replaced by the cleaner business of money laundering. The Northern Territories are technically not a state but a Special Federal Territory, which means every municipality there have much more freedom in its political organization, taxes and most other aspects of the economy. Ashford is known as a tax haven, and several companies have set up shop there. Likewise, many real estate projects in the city have been called dubious by transparency activists, though fiercely protected by the City Hall's lawyers. With that said let's take a view at the downtown area. The riverside, mostly reclaimed land, is no popular hangout spot since it is cut off by the metro and high capacity ramps. Nonetheless, here are the fifteen most important landmarks in the downtown area : 1- Central Station 2- Federal Investigation Service HQ & Federal Hospital 3- Louisoix Leveilleur University 4- 1054 State Street Building (Transit Authority building) 5- Bluerise Plaza Building 6- City Hall & Park 7- Columbia Center 8- City Hall Auxiliary Tower 9- Banhammer Regional HQ 10- University Faculty of Medicine 11- Northern Territories Congressional House 12- Bank of Cathnoquey Tower 13- Silverfield Casino 14- John H. Whitemane Tower 15- CathCorp Tower Here is a view of the historical city hall, where most ceremonial and political functions are concentrated. Administrative services are located further downtown in their own auxiliary building, one of the tallest in the city. The construction of skyscrapers in the city has been spurred by the low tax rates and reputation of the county as a tax haven, but not just. Good public transit links have also encouraged real estate tycoons to base their offices here, though the city still has a high rate of car dependancy. One possible explanation is the fact that the M3, one of the nation's major road links, directly serves most of the city's denser neighborhoods. Initially it was supposed to loop around the Bay, with its top half slashing through Ashford; however as of today the M3 links Ashford from the east, before curving all the way around Timber Lake and southwest towards Wellsborough. Grassroot efforts have successfully prevented the final piece of the M3 loop from being completed : a bridge that would go over the mouth of the lake, above the salt marshes, in a more direct southwest direction. Environmentalists and NIMBY lobbyists claimed the destruction caused to the bay would be inacceptable, and most traffic would be rerouted across parts of the city much like this one, causing massive noise pollution. It's not that Ashford doesn't have good public transportation, though. The central station is actually rather quiet as far as mainline traffic is concerned, but it is also served by the Surburban Ashford Transit Authority's Blue Line and most of the city's bus lines. Meanwhile, other parts of the city, especially the southern, Khajiit parts of the city, are served by the SATA Green Line light rail service. However, both these services have a terrible reputation : old trains and trams, slow service, usual delays, high fares... only compounded by the systematic integration of bus services with rail stations, so that many people travelling from the outer surburbs end up forced to transfer to a slow bus or to the Blue or Green lines. Still, subway service is actually the primary mode among the city's university students and remains quite popular for inhabitants of the more far flung communities. Downtown itself, however, is easily walkable, with most major buildings within 1 mile of each other. There are also several cycling and sport initiatives in town, though the city council has never made good on promises to make Ashford more cyclable. State Street, one of the city's main north-south axis, traditionally hosts the beginning of the Ashford Marathon every Last Seed. Let's take some quick views of different parts of the city. In Southwest Ashford, we have Amity Hill, a primarily poor, Khajiit neighbourhood that rigidly follows the downtown grid (or "standard grid", oriented North). Green Line trams run along Pelletine Avenue. East Ashford and, beyond that, North East Ashford, are located in a hilly area and do not follow any grid conventions. North East Ashford stretches for miles and miles into the valley... Places such as Coleridge Heights are made up of affluent and cozy neighborhoods, nested among the rolling hills, populated by lawyers and accountants, but also middle class families, further pushing the historical, poorer residents further away from their decades old homes... There is one last thing that should be told about Ashford : its music scene, authoritative in Cathnoquey, Tamriel and the entire world. The live music business has defined Ashford for decades, through its nightlife venues in Midtown, its music festivals, or its many cabaret and music halls. Ashford even has its own homebrew label, AshTown Records, which since the 70s has signed a number of high profile performers of many genres, notably rap, hiphop, R&B, but also jazz. The music business in Ashford is much like the finance and accountancy sectors that lead the city by day : respectable and impressive on the outside, but don't stare too deep into the abyss, lest the city's old demons of crime and drug trafficking stare back into you. A city of contrasts, clinging to its good reputation, but where it becomes clear the problems haven't been solved, but merely pushed to the backstreets... But we'll get to explore more of the city as we go! I shall leave you on this final overview of the central parts of the city. I have several entries lined up, so I hope you enjoy the reboot See you in Cathnoquey!
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Hey everyone! For our last entry here in Vesper Bay we'll take a tour of the town by night (and a couple more pictures) A plane taxis off the runway just after rain. Vesper Bay is one of the wettest towns in Cathnoquey. Sprinter train on its way across town. Night time! Here's a picture of the main train station - the architecture here is more utilitarian than aesthetic. Vesper Bay faces drunk driving problems. Tonight, once again, ambulances from two different hospitals rush to the scene of yet another accident in town. Or did it have something to do with catching virtual critter? Whatever - concentrate on the road, the officials say, but the message is not going through. Downtown Vesper Bay at night. The trams eventually stop running, but the hilly CBD remains a bustling hub of nighttime activity. A street in upper downtown... ...Plenty of brick buildings merge with newer construction here. The CBD is quite built-up; here's a view from the University campus just across the river. Tram tracks in upper downtown lead to one of the storage depots. Not everywhere in Vesper Bay is shiny and new.. Some residential areas are, on the opposite, decrepit, grey, covered in trash and concrete - the inner city slums haven't quite been cleared out in this city, and outer high-density development isn't very inspiring either. Yet there's a low crime rate, pushed in part through massive funding to local education programs and the building of way more jail cells than it really needs. Those community programs often deal with sporting events - and that's a good thing if you like sports, as there are plenty of venues and facilities for pretty much anything you want. The new Sprinter Line stays in operation most of the night, albeit with longer waiting times and police officers in every carriage from 10pm to 5am. Great for college students on their way home after a night of binge drinking! It's subsidized by the city council to keep them off the roads. Soon the trams will run 24/7 too. Along Westlake Avenue, though, night time is a much quieter experience. By day Westlake is a commercial road, but at night it sees little traffic, and everything is shut. A lone person wanders around the area along the very narrow roads that are typical of Vesper Bay neighbourhoods. Federal Avenue by night. Predictably the city's main north-south thoroughfare is busy with freight at this time as it passes over the river. Notice the straight LRT bridge on the side with a tram heading to depot for the night. This is where the Blue yellow Federal Line splits from the infill to follow its own right-of-way. These houses seem quite close to the CBD, in hindsight... Vesper Bay may be a smaller town, but it does have a well-defined skyline. One can guess the city's expansion by contrasting the city lights with the dark hills. There are plenty of suburbs behind them, however. The M4 interstate on approach to the southern suburb of New Balmora. Roadworks! The noodle interchange (dubbed "The Noodle" by locals, who even named a dish after it) clearly defines the western edge of downtown. The highway to the south is slated to eventually make way for a bikeway and green parkland area, but motorists' associations have lobbied for years to keep it open. Landing at the airport by night. Good thing the airport is equipped with a glide-slope localizer and all the modern tools to keep planes landing despite the very frequent fog. Noise abatement measures only change the direction of landing (from the south), but some planes do still come in at night. Let's finish on an overview of Vesper Bay at night. The CBD area is actually fairly small (1 square mile?) but densely packed. And here comes the new bus/rail map for the city. Some argue it's retained it's flaws, but the city council is pushing towards proudly displaying it everywhere it can. The black goes well with the signage's own black background. Some of you noticed how the Federal line changed to yellow - this is all part of the massive rebranding and revitalization of the rail network (thanks to those shiny federal funds that Glenvale won't enjoy) to make it look more attractive and reliable. Anyway, this concludes our tour of Vesper Bay! I hope to start a new project after this (grided low-density cities anyone?) so I hope you've enjoyed reading Thanks a lot!
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Entry 37 : Transitways Part 2 : Railways (5E137)
Linoa06 posted a City Journal entry in Skylines of Cathnoquey
Hello and welcome back to Cathnoquey! Today we're going back to Vesper Bay, in the Kingscote Highlands. Last we left, a new tram network had just opened. Well, a month later, a new piece of rail infrastructure has just begun operations : the Metro Sprinter, a commuter rail service mostly operating along the West Coast Main Line! The Highlands are a very forested area of Cathnoquey, and at such there are several loggeries in the area. That's a lot of rail traffic, and freight convoys depart every day towards New Wigmore or Glenvale Harbour. It's going to be tough to weave in a new rail network along this busy stretch of railway. The new rail line begins miles north of Vesper Bay, on the once disused Poacher Line. It's been reopened to freight two years ago, and now links several deep northern communities to the heart of the Highlands. The Poacher Line ends here, at Kettering station, just in sight of the city. The uneven ground at Kettering probably deters people from parking here, doesn't it? The station was built in a rush. Kettering is a mostly upper-class village, and there was a fair share of opposition. The West Coast Main Line is also a busy passenger line. It links the cities of Westchurch and New Wigmore together and forms the rail backbone of the entirety of the West coast. Here's the southbound Kingscote Local from Westchurch terminating at Vesper Bay meeting with an express train to Albany via Westchurch. The Kingscote Local is actually operated by a different company, the Morrowind-based Hlaalu Railway Co. Once merged, the Sprinter trains continue along the line, which passes through Sign Hill Valley. A station was planned here, but eventually the project was abandonned. Just a little further, though, and we come to Jonestone station. Local trains used to stop here, but now only Metro Sprinter trains do. Jonestone is still a village, but we've finally entered the suburbs. Here's a northbound Metro Sprinter in its brand new livery. There are several at-grade crossings between Jonestone and the CBD that have yet to be upgraded. It takes some time, but eventually we arrive at Vesper Bay Central Station. This is the station foregrounds, just by the Board of Trade tower. Central Station is the hub of the LRT and bus networks, right in the middle of downtown. The station is in fact made of two half stations, split by the LRT line that runs through the middle. Metro Sprinter uses platforms 1 and 2 along with most through services, while services terminating at Vesper Bay use platforms 3 and 4. The LRT line stays right in the middle for better interchange between the different modes. Buses also use the LRT tracks, hence the paving. The LRT loops underground, a little further away. Another view of Central Station in the morning, before the rush hour. Now we leave Central Station eastbound. The terrain there is very hilly, and there are several such high bridges across town. Following Akaviri theming, our next stop at Mowbray is a large station and a very popular commuter hub, with several bus lines out of the city. The station itself is also home to the Local Control Post, tasked with oversight over local traffic. Sprinter train leaves Mowbray onto another high bridge. The train goes on for two miles as the suburbs give way to untamed wilderness and forestry... North Oxbridge station is not quite built yet; it was supposed to open on Sprinter's first day of operations, but so much remains to be done. Local residents are looking at a few extra months of waiting, a political nightmare for local councilors. Sprinter then heads on into the woods! There are several sidings and many loggeries on this side of the bay. Finally, the end of the line : South Oxbridge station, 12 miles away from Central Station. A train waits for passengers at South Oxbridge. That's it for Phase 1 of the Sprinter project. The funding for Phase 2 has been approved, and it would see the line extended as far as Wellesley, 30 miles south, but completion is not expected until 5E145. Nevertheless, the line is already expected to help alleviate traffic by a fair margin. However, critics point out that most of the potential passengers come from Wigston and Wellesley, which aren't served yet, and that Phase 1 should have been more ambitious and reached Wigston. A freight train meets a Metro Sprinter on the Poacher Line. Further ahead on the Poacher Line. The Sprinter brings a fresh wave of modernity despite the increased sales tax. Vesper Bay is a very crowded city, and any efforts to relieve congestions are more than welcome. Already groups are pushing towards a Phase 3 line that would link the South Shore to Vesper Bay proper. Strip map of the new line. Possibly this will eventually become the general design of the entire train map. And that's it for today Hope you enjoy, and I'll see you around- 5 Comments
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Entry 36 : Transitways Pt 1 : LRT (5E136)
Linoa06 posted a City Journal entry in Skylines of Cathnoquey
Heya! Let's go back to Vesper Bay! Now Vesper Bay is not the prettiest town. In fact it's my go-to town for testing new mods and assets, more than a really CJ worthy town. But this is where I built my first tram network, so let's take a look Today let's focus on the tram / LRT. There's also a BRT in the making though! The journey begins at the train station (which is being rebuilt)... For some time, the line runs directly on the street, and passes in front of the city hall. After that, the line goes in the middle of Federal Avenue. Most of its run is in the middle of two-lane roads. Express buses can also use the tram lanes. Two trams cross at the foot of Canal Street. A few stops later, the trams stop in the middle of Ilessan Circle, which doubles as a very nice square to stroll into and a bus hub. After that, the line splits into two branches. The Green Line branch splits west to serve the towering residential complexes and housing projects uptown. Quickly the line stops at the new Ministry of Magic building. Most stops are like this : a platform in the middle of the road and pedestrian crossings at either end. Finally the line turns back south on Ashmont Avenue, which is known for its middle-density building developments along it. The P61 roadways goes under Ashmont Avenue and the tram tracks here. The line carries on until the depot at the edge of the city. This ensures the Green Line serves higher density areas and links them straight to downtown in less than 20 minutes. Meanwhile, the Blue Line carries on south. The Blue Line has twice the ridership of the Green Line as it links the second biggest city in the area, New Balmora. The tram line actually goes on its own tracks from there on. Pedestrians and bicycles also run on this new bridge, which frees up the old bridge to vehicular traffic only. It runs parallel to Federal Avenue. You can see how the tram lines runs almost straight, while the roadways goes up and down to follow the terrain. View of the tram tracks running parallel; between the tracks and the roadway the city has encouraged commercial development. There is a special cycle lane next to the tracks which goes all the way to New Balmora. The line then reaches New Balmora. Initially this was the end of the line and it went around the loop, but since then the line was extended into downtown New Balmora. The line crosses the A4 road... Finally it ends in the middle of New Balmora, by the bus terminal! However the system doesn't really go to other places. Almost no buses in industrial districts... ...or in the countryside. And if you want to head to the quarries and mines around the city, you're so out of luck. Same if you live in the far flung southern suburbs! B But hey, maybe a BRT could solve these problems! After all, BRTs are more flexible and cheaper than LRTs, and can match the speed of LRTs, albeit less confortably. Despite more labour and maintenance costs they're decided on an east west busway anyway! Finally, a map of the network. Vesper Bay authorities decided to go for the spartan, cheap look - more cynical passengers find it fitting, as they claim the network is always plagued with delays and breakdowns. Hmh. :/ Anyway thanks for reading! I'll try to post more regular entries about my winter city soon enough :3 -
Entry 35 : Summer Doesn't Last Forever (5E137)
Linoa06 posted a City Journal entry in Skylines of Cathnoquey
Cathnoquey isn't just a land of green hills and rolling meadows. There is a city, in the far north of the country, a city of snow and almost constant cold weather. Welcome to Northpoint... The town was built in a valley, nested between the Neville Brook Hills and the Sterling Range. For up-and-coming and hopelessly irreverant urban planner Robert Preston, this could be the place that would kickstart his career. As the plane began its final approach to Northpoint Airport (NPR), Preston finally got a look at the city he was to call home. The people of Northpoint were rugged. Would he be able to blend in? His plane finally landed on the near frozen runway. Luckily, there was no snowstorm that day. After what seemed like an eternity, the plane finally came to a stop by the domestic terminal. Once he retrieved his luggage, Preston headed to the near empty parking lot. He briefly considered hopping on a streetcar into town, but he decided to hail a cab instead. "4500 Nahakara Avenue", he chirped as he sat in the warm car. The Khakiit taxi driver took a cautious look at the Imperial. "Khajiit drives slowly, yes? The snow has not been plowed this morning. Khajiit hates traffic divertions, but this one has no choice." The way out of the airport was clear, sure enough. Preston looked at his folders. One of his priorities, as set out by the City Board of Trustees, was to improve north-south traffic from the airport to the city centre. He quickly realised the job would be harder than he thought. "Why don't you use a motorway?" he asked the driver, who scoffed. "Motorway? We are not in Glenvale, this is our main road into town." Soon enough, the road became a fast but narrow road on the east bank of the river. There was a faster way, but it was closed down because of the weather conditions. Preston look a look at his files again. This road definitely needed upgrading, he noted. At least the road avoided a tedious drive through the Windsong residential district... Ten miles ahead, he smiled as they finally reached the heart of the city. "See this shop, southerner? Khajiit always goes at the end of his shift. They have the best hamburgers in all of the North Territories." Somehow, this relieved Preston a little. The Glenvale man had no clue what the people of Northpoint were like, and seemed to be under the impression they ate the most disgusting things. They drove through the business district. No high-rises here. There was little need for high rises. The population was only 100.000 souls, barely more than Westport and a mere fourth-to-fifth of the population of Glenvale. Land was relatively cheap, and earthquakes were relatively common in this part of the country. The heart of the city, the Mall, was little more than a battered and muddy field. Preston thought of changing that, too, but would the locals accept his mingling? Some of the taller towers were residential complexes and hotels. Whittler Avenue, the main east-west through-way, was better built, he thought. He smirked at the public curling facilities. The Khajiit driver noticed that. "Amusing, is it not? This one may be a cat-person, but this one won several prizes on these rinks. This one came third last year, during the '36 Briers." Preston only slightly nodded. This was the first time he ever heard of curling. The car finally stopped on the side of the road, in front of Preston's hotel room, on the corner of Whittler and Nakahara. Preston got off, took a look at the ruined fort, before making his way in. His hotel was decidedly warmer and his accommodation more like an apartment than a hotel room - all paid for by the Board of Trustees who hired him. It was barely 3.30 in the afternoon when the sun began setting down. Preston decided to have a walk through the city and a bite to eat. He hopped on a D line streetcar, and stopped at the Arboretum. He learned, streetcars were the main way to get around in the town. While there were bus lines, mostly concentrated along Whittler Avenue, streetcars served the main population centres and were far more reliable. He reached the Newquay district on foot, and ended up dining at the Red Mountain, a restaurant serving Morrowind and Vvardenfell specialities. On his way home, he noticed firemen rushing to a building on fire. He watched from afar for about ten minutes, but the cold was too biting, so he decided to head home. Preston fell asleep. The next day, he would meet the Board of Trustee, and his work would truly begin. But what would he do? The locals seemed grumpy and introverted. He truly was as far as he could possibly get from Glenvale. But tomorrow is another day, full of opportunity. And that concludes this entry! I hope you liked, and feel free to leave some feedback. :3 Oh, and that's a map of the streetcar network! See you next time!- 11 Comments
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Entry 34 : A Commute Through Town (5E136)
Linoa06 posted a City Journal entry in Skylines of Cathnoquey
Heya everyone! It's been one year since I began this CJ and I'm thrilled that it's still going on! Today we're taking a commute in this town : In the morning mist you can even see the smog coming from the glorious chimneys of the great industrial areas that cover the town and its inhabitants in soot and riches. The journey begins south, in a residential district called South Lexington. This is the A4 road from Glenvale, which here is not a freeway, but instead a 1x1 road with local lanes. It gets really jammed at rush hour. Once reaching the Morningstar Bridge, finally traffic can use two lanes. When you finally drive up onto the bridge, you sigh with relief. Maybe you won't be late to the office after all! From there, you drive on towards the CBD. You have two choices : you can try the waterbank expressway, which is hardly ever used because of its steep tolls... Or you can be cheap and carry on driving on the A4. As you drive into town the road even becomes a 3-lane way with sound barriers. And all of this to drive from this neighbourhood... ...into downtown, some 10 miles away. Somehow you beat the traffic! Or is it that you just went extra early? Either way, the streets are still quiet and the shops are still closed. Here are your shoppers and office workers! They're stuck on a bridge above the motorway, predictably enough. You wish there was a real mass transit system, beyond the inadequate buses and streetcars...but the federal grants have instead gone in the refurbishment of the small Vesper Bay Campus instead. Not that it's a bad thing, really - it's the leading university in the country as far as biology is concerned, and many talented barristers and laywers also come from these halls. With the federal grants, the university could improve quality of life for its students, and build sports facilities. The parkings didn't really get the same treatment though. That's the least they could do, right? The big addition this year isn't even the university, though. And no, it's not a proper transit system either. The Ministry of Magic has finally opened! The Ministry complex (which cost billions to the country) takes the form of a giant tower which dominates the south reaches of downtown. Landfills were turned into beautiful, weaving parks. The Ministry hosts all services for the small yet vibrant wizarding community of Cathnoquey. Cathnoquey seeks to become a leader in magical expertise - something Cyrodiil has excelled at for the past few centuries, ever since the fall of the Aldmeri Dominion. Personally, if I have to commute anywhere, I'd love my workplace to offer me a massive blooming park to relax during lunch break. But for all the talks of modernity and forward thinking, the town still lacks a definite public transport network. The buses are crammed, the trams are unreliable, and everything just costs so much! But hey, maybe we install a modern LRT system next entry And that's it for today! Next time we're beginning to improve our transit system so it connects more of the city together! Thanks for reading! And here's a map of the general area. Thanks See you next time- 2 Comments
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Heya! Welcome back to Vesper Bay. Today we're going to have a little tour of the downtown area! But first - a new map! Can you spot Vesper Bay? It's a bit out of the way, isn't it? Uptown, the southern area of the CBD, follows a regular grid. It's convenient for navigating the town, for sure, but some say it lacks character. Meanwhile, Downtown is the northern part, bounded by the rail tracks - so far only Downtown is really built up. It's the nexus of everything : buses, trams, and roadways. The CBD is served by the airport, 3.5 miles away. Vesper Bay faces the Padomaic Ocean towards Tamriel, and at such gets a lot of rain. The city is especially prone to floods. In the middle, three of the city's most important buildings. The tallest tower (on the right?) is Everdawn Tower. In the foreground, we have the Board of Trade building. The white tower is the Flatiron Tower. We can also see the bus terminal, as well as the Rockery Tower behind the Aedric Cathedral of Arkay. Close-up of the Cathedral of Arkay. Arkay is a very important deity in the Aedric religion, which is very strong in Vesper Bay : he is said to rule over the Wheel of Life and Death itself. Many high-profile funerals occur at the Cathedral. Close-up of the core downtown area. The station and tram stop can be seen on the left-hand side. Obviously there's more to the city than the core downtown area. This is 3250 Ilessan Av, on the border between downtown and uptown. In the downtown area many of the streets are narrow 2x2 lane roads, simply because they were upgraded after the construction of many of these high-rises. Downtown is also crossed by canals. Canal Street is the place to be at night, with hotels on one side and all sorts of bars and nightclubs on the other side. Blitzball and baseball : the two major sports in Vesper Bay. The two stadiums are actually side-by-side! One of the major links into the CBD is Noodle Junction, where roads branch off the A4 roadway into the industrial area and Uptown. Look how narrow the Flatiron Tower is! In the foreground, we can also see the City Hall. Of course, there is a lot of sprawling in Vesper Bay. The terrain around the city is hilly and grids usually merge into one another once out of the downtown core. Railways also stretch from the city outwards, though many of them only carry cargo traffic. The main passenger link from New Wigmore, looking towards downtown. We're quite a few miles out by now, and that's great for anyone who wants to live near more natural areas, yet not completely lose out on the convenience of suburban or urban life. Too bad there's no commuter rail... Anyway, that's all for today! Next time we'll talk about the new building in town : the Ministry of Magic! Unless I post something for the 1st anniversary of this CJ. Please please leave some feedback, comments, y'know! Hope you enjoy and see you next time!
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Hiya there! Today we're staying in Westport a big longer as I wanted to get this entry in. Infrastructure time! Westport is one the island's transport hub, especially for cargo. There are several small hubs, though most trains head on towards the harbour. Here it crosses the A9 road, on the three miles where it is otherwise a separated motorway. Many trains cross the road each day, and people are beginning to consider building an overpass. There are also plans to eventually upgrade the entire A9 to a motorway. After all, it's the spine of Perwyn Island, and parts in Dragon's Landing are already converted. Nevertheless, many feel this would cost far more than they can afford. This is the Trumpet, which is the main point of entry into Westport itself. Further south on the A9, Hlaalu Circle is another crucial intersection and entry point to both the Harbour and the main town. The A9 is joined by the railway line at this point, and both run almost straight away from the city. Westport Airport is one of two passenger airfields on the island. There are quite a few flights each day, mostly commuter flights from the mainland. Most bigger planes land at Dragon's Landing instead. To get to the airport, cars must cross the railway. There's a railway station that serves the airport, too, but it's only served by local trains. Taxis are very important in Westport. The harbour is the island's biggest. It is directly located on the West coast of the peninsula, facing Morrowind hundreds and hundreds of miles away. Because of that, an important industrial zone developed around it. Slightly hidden here is the Vault-Tec plant, which produces parts for nuclear shelters around the country. There are also oil fields on the peninsula and offshore. Many are surprised to know Westport actually produces oil - and makes a lot of money from it. There's a lot of smog coming from the industrial district, though. Sometimes the smell wafts into downtown, and the municipality isn't quite sure how to fix it. Here's the main cargo station for Westport. And here's the main passenger station. This is the Chirpy Express, the train that runs almost non-stop between Westport and Dragon's Landing. Most trains are local or at least semi-express though, and take a lot longer to link the two cities. There are no longer any passenger branch lines; though many of them are still open to freight traffic. This train is running on a former branch line. This one heads to the Westport Chocolate Factory, which is owned by an Akaviri firm from the faraway city of Mitakihara. ] That's it for today! I hope you enjoyed Feedback is always appreciated See you next time!
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- cathnoquey
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Hiya and welcome to Westport! I have two new cities in the making and a new title design, but today I want to showcase Westport's simpler side, away from the resorts and the city centre. Also, I've finally got my PC fixed, so from now on everything should be in high res! Westport is a highly rated seaside resort, but the capital of Perwyn Island truly remains a simple place. In Westport, nature is everywhere, from the rocky embankments to the variety of trees everywhere. Even in the outskirts of town, such as the Maargan neighbourhood, there are huge parks for people to stroll in and enjoy. Some people live in flats, which means more land is left to nature as Westport residents build up rather than away. Not that there isn't any sprawl in Westport. Terraced houses are a commonplace sight in the city and the villages around it. Many of the streets have bike lanes and are relatively wide to begin with, too. This was probably done on purpose to avoid a feeling of crowding all too common in many towns. There are several villages around town. The peninsula is criss-crossed by windy roads. The A9 road is easily the biggest road in town as it heads towards Dragon's Landing, but in Westport it's not even separated. That is an attempt to mitigate the environmental impact of the airport, one of two big airfields on Perwyn Island. Westport is known for more than being the state capital or for its seaside resort. There are many stables in Westport. Horse-riding is one of the city's prides, and locally it's the biggest spectator sport according to TV habits. This may have to do with the local Blitzball and football teams being substandard, or maybe it's due to Westport hosting the start of the yearly Equestrian Tour, an endurance race that circles the country in fifteen days. Terrain around Westport is actually quite hilly. This village, known as Wyrkin Mora, is located in a valley in the heart of the peninsula. This does shelter it a little from the sea winds. Wyrkin Mora Community College is Perwyn Island's highest performing high school, and is looking at a four-year reconstruction program to greatly expand on the campus. If education isn't a problem, there is a constant complaint amongst these residents that the fire and health services take too long to reach them. Indeed, most hospitals and fire stations are concentrated in Westport itself. Other residents live right by the cliff. In 5E69, a storm washed away many houses on the coastline, but this hasn't deterred promoters from building new housing districts again. These beaches make for lovely walks. Most of the peninsula is either farmland or forest. This provides more hiking potential to many locals and tourists alike. This is also where Dunmer Bleu is made - it's a local blue cheese loved nationally, despite legislators from Glenvale repeatedly trying to outlaw it in the federal Congress. In the end, Westport really is a typical quiet countryside town, despite the busy seaside resort activities...or is it this rural charm that drives tourism up? Anyway, that's it for now! Next entries we'll explore Dragon's Landing, Westport's big sister on Perwyn Island. Hope you liked it, and see you next time
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Hiya everyone I've been gone a little while (coughfalloutcough) and I've decided to pitch my CJ in a new direction. The country is divided in three : Amesbury represents the older, industrial North, while Glenvale is the picture of a far younger city in what was Cathnoquey's last frontier, the Wild Wild South. But there's a part of the country we've not talked much about : the Dunmeri Wilds and Perwyn Island, the area north-west of the country. These areas were settled the first, actually, by Dunmers from House Hlaalu fleeing persecution from Morrowind. However, despite their close ties to the Imperials, an intense competition developed during the Colonization period of the late Fourth Era, as of course the Dunmers had the best harbors and the nicest land. When Cathnoquey held its war of independance from Cyrodiil, skirmishes occured between the two nations. They managed to eventually form an uneasy federation, but it broke down into civil war shortly after. It was a bloody war which led to absolutely no change, as the Dunmers rejoined Cathnoquey again - but there is still a strong cultural and geographical divide between Perwyn Island and mainland Cathnoquay. Let's drive to the biggest Dunmeri town today - let's go to Westport! As you can see, getting to Westport from Glenvale is harder than it sounds. You can drive - it takes a good 7 hours to reach the city of Wodenbury (featured here), plus three hours of ferry to Maargan. You can also take the train - there are express trains running in just under three hours from Glenvale to Wellsborough, though it also takes three hours to get from Wellsborough to Wodenbury, and once again, there's a ferry to take. Perwyn Island's main road is in fact not a motorway, but a 2x2 lane road. The traffic simply doesn't justify a more expensive freeway, especially one that doesn't connect to the mainland interstate system... The landscape on Perwyn Island is very different from the vast and sunny fields of southern Cathnoquey. Here, hilly terrain is the norm. Perwyn is known for its countless little creeks and rivers that criss-cross the island. As we near Westport, the road widens to include a median lane. Westport is home to about 100'000 inhabitants, and the road is the only major roadway feeding into the area. Lorde Circle, at the gates of Westport, also known as Perwyn's Largest Roundabout. Historically, it has been the start of the Perwyn Cycling Tour, which is held every summer across the island. Westport feels very different from Glenvale. It's sure colder, though not particularly wetter - well, it does rain a lot more here. In recent years though its beaches have become prized by people fleeing the heat waves, forest fires, and beach hysteria common in the south. As one of the country's oldest towns, Westport boasts a very large heritage. Castle Hlaalu, also known as the Citadel, is one of the iconic landmarks of the city. It sits on an artificial island, and though it does not guard entry into harbour anymore, it is still a very impressive structure. The southern parts of Westport are home to countless canals in what used to be the industrial area of town (the original "Westport"). Since the 50s, it has become a very posh suburb and another destination for tourists. Westport is defined not just by its coastline, but also by its flora. The Floral Park in downtown Westport was created in 5E21 as a cricket field but quickly converted into a city park. Various local personalities have donated towards its upkeep, and Westport won the Tamriel Floral City Award twice in recent history : in 5E123 and 5E127. There are many other parks in Westport, such as Primrose Park, which replaced the old Guildhall after an electrical fire destroyed the historic building entirely. When the traffic jams subside, it can actually be quite nice to drive through the city. Many of the avenues are tree laned. There aren't many high-rises in Westport. Belmont Tower and the Shivering Wheel dominate the cityscape. There are many post-Victorian buildings though (or at least the Tamrielic equivalent of a Victorian period). The city centre is surrounded by tight-knit terraced suburbs built from the 40s to the 60s to accomodate a massive housing crisis and demographic boom. The Town Hall and its plaza are popular meeting spots in the city. In summer it's not uncommon to see people bathing in the fountain itself. The Church of the Nerevarine is the oldest building still standing in Westport (older than the Citadel). It was specifically built in a lavish yet outlandish style, even by Vvardenfell standards, by an eccentric Hlaalu councilor. HIs name was lost to the sands of time, but his legacy remains intact and well preserved. Victory Column marks the middle of the colonial town, with the Cathedral of Zenithar to the right of the picture. The city might be remote, but there is an efficient bus network linking the city together. It all converges at the train station in the middle of town. Trains go back and forth across the island. Only one line remains open to passenger traffic but there are several freight only branches. Westport is one of the only major cities more readily available by plane. Flights to Wellsborough only take an hour, and flights to Glenvale take under two hours. The airport is still criticized for a lack of security groundside, and it is not uncommon to find your car missing its wheels! Hardly reassuring... Guess the ferry's safer after all... View of Westport sprawling across the land. That's it for now! I hope you enjoy this new locale, I am going to focus on this area though I will feature Glenvale again fairly soon. See you soon
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Skylines of Cathnoquey HD #46 - Dragons Landing Tour (5E140)
Linoa06 posted a topic in Cities: Skylines City Journals
Disclaimer : Welcome to Cathnoquey! This was initially a CJ focused on building a city from scratch, but this has evolved into a visit of the many cities that form Cathnoquey. Cathnoquey is based on the Elder Scrolls, though in a decidedly less magical alternate universe which branched out somewhere in the Fourth Era. Most of the entries can be found in this forum thread, though for a more exhaustive list of all Cathnoquey work feel free to browse the City Journal section. This CJ has been going on for just under a year now, so there's quite a lot to read! This is what Cathnoquey looks like. The cities we've visited are shown in yellow! This CJ belongs to me (Linoa06) but I know a couple of folks that also write blogs based on my universe and my take on the TES setting. Having said that, do enjoy and thanks for reading! The very first entry where it all started comes just after this Welcome to Amesbury and to my Cities : Skylines CJ! I am writing this CJ and chronicling my city of Amesbury as I develop it from scratch. It's not an attempt at organic city planning (there is a master plan after all), but the city isn't fully planned either and I let myself wander off the 5-year-plan when issues arise or if I fancy trying something else. As it turns out, the candy graphics don't actually put me off. This is actually my fourth town, but the first one I build with more than just gameplay in mind. We'll see how it goes! I will not attempt to keep to a certain time frame as it killed my Traebia CJ dead in its tracks a couple of years ago. My time is limited, I want to take it easy. Of Cats and Cathnoquey So where to begin...Amesbury is a small village in the Commonwealth of Cathnoquey. During the Tiber Septim wars this island was developed as an outpost for invasions of Akavir, but it was out of the way enough that once the wars ended, most citizens returned to Tamriel and colonization was over. Ayleids were reported on the island as late as the Fourth Era, when colonization began and Cathnoquey became interesting again. They were persecuted and the few remaining Ayleids now enjoy protected minority status, but harm has been done. Cathoquey is a federation. Its two biggest cities are Wellsborough (1.254.698) and New Wigmore (785.021), though there are some other big cities scattered on the island, mostly on the coastal areas. Amesbury, Land of Sleepy Roads The two towns are linked by railroads and limited-access roadways. Amery County, in the middle of forested hills, is where the two axis meet. It could be a perfect place for a town to grow...but at present, there is only a small village settled barely fifty years ago : Amesbury. A very sleepy town... Which for fifty years has not been a great hub of anything. Though the timber industry is very present and drives the municipal economy, the town is a cosy and unassuming place. But everything changed in 5E115 with the municipal elections, and Major DeFacto, a very moustachy old Altmer, was defeated by an up-and-coming human councillor, Major Davies. And the Wellsborough-educated daughter of a timber tycoon has plans for the town. If there's a city in all of Cathoquey that must become important and -the- place to invest in, it better be Amesbury! In 5E115, Amesbury is home to 2'407 people. Most live in the residential district, also called North Shores. Further east, Crest Heights is an industrial park that, while in decline, has managed to hold its own far better than most of the industry sector in the whole country. Motorway M2, the east-west axis between New Wigmore and the New Gold Coast, looking west. Exit 54 for Amesbury and Amery County... Most traffic enters the town at Hickory Circle or through SR-8, a small road leading south. Hickory Circle is the town's central park and is where of the town's commercial activity happens. There's also a small Major's House and County Seat. The very quiet Browley Street, still sleepy in the morning sun. Proposals to embellish the roadworks have remained shelved for years under DeFacto's majorship. Browley Street was where singer Ciley Mirus lived before losing herself in a construction area and finding fame in New Wigmore! Thank you, TeeEmZee! The town has managed to keep its industry going over the years, in large part because of the many logging camps across the County. Wood-related industries make up for most of the town's industrial output. Dam Splinters, Inc has based its headquarters in Amesbury to take advantage of the very low industrial tax rate (barely 6%!), and ICK-EA is planning to set up shop here, too! DeForest Station Co., just outside town. This logging camp (and many others) is owned by the Davies family. A Sprinter train from Wellsborough to Albany runs near the town. Amesbury is not served by the CathRail passenger or freight networks, though CathCoach buses stop at Hickory Circle. That's it for now! There are many development plans going on, but for now Amesbury is still quite the sleepy town it is known for. There's high residential and industrial demand, low tax rates, plenty of land to settle, and it's one of the best spots as far as transportation is concerned, so Talos willing, maybe the town will grow someday... This is my first entry and beginning area, hope you like it and feel free to give feedback. -
Hello! This entry is not strictly speaking a new CJ Entry, but a general presentation of Cathnoquey, the island nation where this CJ takes place. We are in the Elder Scrolls world indeed, though during the Fifth Era, in a future where magic has all but vanished, and most countries have become modern instead. So what is Cathnoquey? Well, it's an island about halfway between the continents of Tamriel (to the West) and Akavir (to the East). A little bit of history... There were natives in Cathnoquey, and even Ayleids! In 3E276, the Imperial forces from Tamriel landed on the west coast of Cathnoquey, settling what is known today as New Wigmore. However, decades later they were in full retreat. It took a long time and a new Era for new settlers to land on the shores of Cathnoquey. The Dark Elves settled Dragon's Landing and Wodenbury first, in 4E690 (the point of divergence with the Elder Scrolls prime setting). The site of New Wigmore was also developed around this time by pilgrims fleeing religious persecution. A few years later, colonies were founded in what is now Wellsborough to foster trade between Akavir and Tamriel. However, the native Ayleids were forced out of their last bastions. The first colonies to federate were the Twelve Colonies that became what is known today as Humberland. They were lated joined by the New Nibenay colony, the great colony of Kingscote, and the Wellsborough colony of New Gold Coast. Meanwhile, penal colonies were built by Cyrodiil and Hammerfell in what is known as the North Territory today. Industrialisation happened, and Cathnoquey became a federated dominion of the Empire of Cyrodiil. This spelled doom for the native Ayleids, now stuck on reservations in the cold North Territory. The Perwyn Islands, as well as Wodenbury, were bought from Morrowind in the very early fifth era (5E002), a period known for Impressionism and the advent of the skyscraper. After the Great War between Akavir and Tamriel, Cathnoquey, which had been in a state of armed neutrality but was forced to commit troops to the war effort, rebelled in what is known as the Crimson War. In 5E24, it obtained its independance from Cyrodiil and became a nation of its own. In 5E89, President Wilson apologised for the crimes commited against the Ayleids, though racial inequalities remain unfortunately very rife, despite the country becoming a dominant world power well into the 5E100s. Cathnoquey today Today, Cathnoquey is a nation of approximately 70 million people, most of them Men, with a few Elves who remain decidedly on the fringes of society - except the Dunmer. It is a federated nation, and is made up of several states, each with varying legislation. The biggest are Humberland, Kingscote, the North Territory, and the New Gold Coast. In addition, three more states are part of the federation : the Perwyn Islands, the New Nibenay province, and Anabon. Most of these states are provinces, but some enjoy special status. Anabon is technically independant and is considered an overseas territory; there is much debate as Anabon is ruled by its own (though pro-Cathnoquey) autocratic regime, and has been so since it was freed from Cyrodiil and Summerset rule in the waning Victorian years of the Fourth Era. Cathnoquey is a democratic federation. The Federal Party (FP) and the New Progressive Party of Cathnoquey (PPC) tend to be the major players in politics.
